Panama will look to play spoilers against Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals on Thursday night at AT&T Stadium.
Jaime Lozano’s side were just about outmatched by Honduras in their quarterfinal tie, but a penalty shootout victory at Estadio Azteca saw them prevail. El Tri were down 2-0 after the first leg but managed to tie things up at two apiece before Andy Najar’s missed penalty attempt sealed the win for the North American giants.
Panama will be looking for revenge this time out, as it was Mexico who toppled the Central American nation in last summer’s Gold Cup final thanks to a late strike from Santiago Gimenez. Panama cruised to a 6-1 aggregate triumph over Costa Rica in the quarterfinals to setup the clash with El Tri.
Here’s 90min’s preview of the rematch of the 2023 Gold Cup final.
What time does Panama vs Mexico kick-off?
Mexico aim to return to the Concacaf Nations League final for the first time since 2021 on Thursday when they take on Panama in the semifinals.
El Tri are heavily favored in this matchup, which comes after the course correction that took place over the second half of last year. Mexico rebounded from their failure to advance out of the 2022 World Cup group stage by winning last year’s Gold Cup, but the Nations League presents a first opportunity for new head coach Jaime Lozano to prove himself against full-strength teams in the region.
Location: Arlington, Texas
Stadium: AT&T Stadium
Date: Thursday 21 March
Kick-off Time: 22:15 ET / 19:15 PT / 02:00 GMT * (22 March 2024)
